The Amazon has an incredibily rich ecosystem - there are around 40,000 plant species, 1,300 bird species, 3,000 types of fish, 430 mammals and a whopping 2.5 million different insects. Wow! The Amazon is home to a whole host of fascinating - and deadly! - creatures, including electric eels, flesh eating piranhas, poison dart frogs, jaguars and some seriously venomous snakes. One fascinating fish found in the Amazon is the Pirarucu (also known as the arapaima or paiche). A menacing meat-eater, the pirarucu guzzles up other fish and can grow to nearly 3m long! And what makes it super deadly? It has teeth on the roof of its mouth and on its tongue!

The Amazon rainforest is located in South America and covers 2.1 million square miles of land. Brazil has 60%, Peru has 13%, and Colombia has 10% while other countries have very small parts of the rainforest within their borders. Altogether there are nine nations that enjoy all that the Amazon rainforest has to offer. The Amazon rainforest has existed for at least 55 million years. The Amazon rainforest is home to a very diverse range of species, many of which are not found elsewhere in the world. It covers most of the Amazon Basin in South America. The basin is 2.7 million square miles while the Amazon covers 2.1 million square miles of it. If the Amazon rainforest was a country, it would rank 9th in size. The nine nations that have the Amazon rainforest in their borders are: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

More than half of Earth’s rain forests have already been lost forever to the insatiable human demand for wood and arable land. Rain forests that once grew over 14 percent of the land on Earth now cover only about 6 percent. And if current deforestation rates continue, these critical habitats could disappear from the planet completely within the next hundred years. Threats Logging interests cut down rain forest trees for timber used in flooring, furniture, and other items. Power plants and other industries cut and burn trees to generate electricity. The paper industry turns huge tracts of rain forest trees into pulp. The cattle industry uses slash-and-burn techniques to clear ranch land. Agricultural interests, particularly the soy industry, clear forests for cropland. Subsistence farmers slash-and-burn rain forest for firewood and to make room for crops and grazing lands. Mining operations clear forest to build roads and dig mines. Governments and industry clear-cut forests to make way for service and transit roads. Hydroelectric projects flood acres of rain forest.

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